Pipe and tubing bender



J. D BENFIELD ET AL PIPE AND TUBING BENDER Sept 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1957 a m. M w 5 a N H O J PIPE AND TUBING FENDER John D. Benfield, Detroit, Mich, and Richard R. Kozinski, Canton, Ohio Application November 25, 1957, Serial No. 698,853

Claims. ((31. 81-15) is that it is a perfectly balanced tool having stabilizing means and which remain steady on the floor and does not rock or teeter sideways when the operator places his weight upon the foot treadle or booster step during use of said bender.

Another important object of our invention is to provide a. bender including a multi-positioned foot treadle, or booster step, having structural features permitting the bending of larger sizes of heavy pipe, or conduit, or electrical metallic tubing, with more ease and facility than heretofore possible and one which is capable of being moved beyond a 90 arc during the bending operation.

A further object is to provide a bender as aforesaid in which the foot treadle or step is movably connected to the body portion of the bender in such a manner as to permit its easy adjustment to a multiplicity of different positions relative to said body and to be positively locked in said different positions; another object being to provide a treadle-carrying bender in which the connection between the treadle and body of the bender is, in elfect, a floating connection.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of our invention will appear from the following description and appended claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Drawings accompany the specification and the various views thereof may be briefly described as? Figure 1, an elevation of the bending tool;

Figure 2, a top view of the tool;

Figure 3, an end view of the foot treadle;

Figure 4, a view of the reverse side of the tool with the treadle in adjusted position;

Figure 5, a view of the device in position for the initial bending stroke;

Figure 6, an illustration of the end of the initial stroke;

Figure 7, the final bending stroke;

Figure 8, a view showing a reverse bend action.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1, the bending tool is viewed from the side. It consists of a runner base as an arcuate segment 20 having a groove 22 for receiving the conduit to be shaped. A web 24 strengthens the runner, the web being widened to form a recess 26 on the top of the runner to receive the end of a handle H which may be threaded into the recess 26.

Radial arms 30 and 32 converge in a ferrule 34 which also receives the handle H at a point spaced toward the center of the arcuate runner base between the ends thereof. Arm 30 has a small inside web 34 joining web 24; the web extending. through the side flanges 36 to ates Patent ice web 38. The end of the runner adjacent web 38 narrows to a flange 40 as a continuation of web 38. The ends of flanges 36 are turned down to form lugs 42. The flange 40 is provided with an elongate slot 44.

Mounted on flange 40 is a foot treadle 50 having a bifurcate portion 52 straddling the flange. A hardened pin 54 is driven into holes in a widened section of the portion 52 and secured in a suitable manner by strike ins, punches, or the like. The outer end of one hole may be blind at 55 with a thin section which will permit a drift to be inserted if necessary for pin removal. Heels 56, on each side of the treadle, seat on shoulder 58 at the end of each side of the runner base 20 to provide a solid fulcrum and force point for treadle pressure. The toed end 60 of the treadle is provided with an arcuate recess 62 for pipe clearance as will be later described. The other end of the treadle 50 is provided with hook ends 64 to engage the lugs 42 when the treadle is lifted and shifted so the hooks may engage as shown in Figure 4.

At the other end of the runner base 20 there is formed an opening 70 having a hook-end 72 corrugated at 74 on its inner surface for gripping the work. Each side of the hook is provided with Wing stabilizers or out-riggers 76 having an edge substantially tangential to the curved surface 78 on the bottom of the hook 72. The face 79 of opening 70 opposite to 74 is curved to fit a pipe form, and a pipe retaining corner piece 77 insures a lock, as will be later described.

The arm 32 is composed of a web 80 which is shaped to form the side at 82 of opening 70. Flanges 84 blend into the runner base. The inner surface of hook 72 is below the arc of the runner base.

Operation In the operation of the tool, as shown in Figure 5, the

hook 72 is placed around a portion of pipe P. Note a centerline L is parallel to the pipe axis and denotes the exact centerline of the pipe tubing or conduit to be bent. A star S indicates where the back of a bend will 10- cate. The arrow A is a bench mark to enable the operator to predetermine the stub length of a bend. The treadle 50 in the position of Figure 1, is high in the air and the wings 76 will stabilize the tool on the surface of operation. An operator can therefore place his full weight on the treadle, apply heavy foot pressure, and at the same time exert force by pulling on the handle H to move the pipe section P up to and through 60 before stopping. Clearance recess 62 permits this motion to its fullest extent as shown in Figure 6.

The treadle 50 is then moved to the dotted line position of Figure 6 (see Figure 4) where the hooks 64 are engaged with the lugs 42. Foot and arm force may again be applied to the tool and a continuation of the downward movement will complete the 90 bend in the pipe P.

To obtain a 90 are some pipe must be overbent to about 98 to 100 because it springs back several degrees when the tool is removed. Other pipe will remain overbent. In such cases it may then be returned to a 90 bend by means of a reverse bending movement. The pipe is then held securely between the inner edge of book 70, the face of opening 79 and the pipe retaining corner piece 77 as shown in Figure 8.

It will thus be seen that we have provided a versatile pipe bender which permits simultaneous and effective use of the operators weight and arm power. The tool may be used for varying sized pipe and for angles short of or greater than 90 if desired.

What we claim is:

l. A portable pipe bending tool of the type comprising an arcuate recessed runner base provided with a grip hook at one end and a radial leverage handle, a means for operator weight application simultaneously with arm leverage comprising a treadle member angularly adjustable on said arcuate baseat the end opposite the hook, means for. locating. said. treadle member in a first position on said-base for vertical applicationof force for a -preliminary bend, and means :on said base anrhmeanspn said treadle member for lockingsaid. treadle=member in a second position for efiective vertical application of force for the completion of thebeiid.

2. A deviceas defined in claim 1-, in which thetreadle member is pivoted on the baseatone-endinalost-motion arrangement wherein force may be-.applied in--the first position directly to the basethrough the treadle member at a fulcrumpoint between the;pivot;and-the'digitahend end is provided with a'return portion'at its outermost end having a-depending'portion providedwithan arcuate recess to receive the, pipe atthe extreme end of abending stroke.

5. A'device as defined in claiml in which thehook 6nd of the arcuate base is provided with coutwardly; extending projections having =bottomsurfaces in the same plane substantially tangential to the base and extending axially of the base acting, when the hook is first engaged with a pipe, to stabilize the tool as an operator mounts the treadle preparatory to a bending operation.

6. 'A manual, handle-operated pipe, raceway, rod, 'conduit and tubing bender, comprising a body portion, .a curved base portion-formed on the body portion, a workengaging hook portion at one end 'of the base portion, said curved base portion providing alongitudinalarcuate groove, a curved concave shoulder at one end of the 'longitudinalarcuate groove of the curved base portionand opposite 'the hook portion, saidshoulder being engageable with a pipe for removing a few degrees ofarc from the pipe bent by the bender, and a movable leverageincreasing foot treadle step pivotally disposed at the end of the body portion remote from the work engaging hook portion shiftable radially outward of the curved base portion to increase the leverage radius for foot pressure.

7. A bender according to claim 6 wherein the foot treadle step has a notched depending flange at its free end to receive a portion ofthe pipe being bent and thus permit the bender to move through agreater arc during the bending operation.

8.-'-A -bender accord ing toclaim-6, -whereinfthe foot treadle step has ai'pinzand'slot-fioating connection with saidbody portion.

'9.-A"manual,' handle-operated pipe, raceway, rod, conduit and tubing i bender, comprising a body portion, a curved base portion formed on the body portion, a workengaging hook portion at one end of the base portion having laterally disposed outward projections for stabilizingwtheegbender awheneina use, said 'curved base portion-. pr0vidi ng;-a longitudinal" arcuate .groove, a: curved .concave shoulder with a pipe retaining. lip portion atone end of the longitudinal .arcuate groove. on the curvedtbase portion and'opposite the hook portion, said shoulder: being jengageable withta'pipe for removing a fewdegreeszof arc from the piperbent-by the bender; and a multhpositionable 'footwtreadle step. pivotally disposed :at the end ot thez bodyportion. remote from the: workengaging .hook

aportionxishiftable radially outward .of the 'cur-ved base,

whereby to extend the leverage radius for-foot pressure on. the rbender :in'-'use.

' l0. ?A.1portable=pipe bending tool of the 'typecomprisingzanzarcuate-recessed. runnerbase provided with a'grip -hooktat oneend andla radial leverage handle, a means :forioperator .weightuapplication simultaneously with=arm leverage comprising a'. treadle member angula'rly adjustable:on-said. arcuate base. atthe end opposite the hook, whereby. said :treadle :member may be shifted to* a=plural- .ity-aofi positi'ons angularly of the end of the arcuate base on which it .is -mounted, :andmeans for -locating -said treadlememberrin each of said positions to' permit' force tol-beapplied to said toolin a' directionwhereinthe arcuate' base isnfulcrumed on the pipe tdibe b'ellt.

' References Cited in'the file of .this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,075,837 Malo et a1. Oct. 14,- 1913 2,584,537 Benfield -Feb. 5, 1952 2,630,033 Stover Mar..3, 1953 2,817,986 Benfield Dec. 31,-:1957 

